


Operation: Lost Boy

by RelentlassHuggerSquad



Category: Black Widow (Comics), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky x Natasha - Freeform, F/M, winterwidow - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelentlassHuggerSquad/pseuds/RelentlassHuggerSquad
Summary: Natasha is in SHIELD‘s witness protection program, a former high-level Russian operative, she betrayed her country to help an American soldier named Steve. Now Steve needs another favor from her, to hide one of his colleagues Bucky who is being hunted by the same people after her. Steve says it’ll only be for a couple of days, two weeks at most, little does he know how wrong he is. Can Bucky and Natasha survive each other and the dark pasts they are both running from, or are they both far too shattered to be anything beautiful?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Operation: Lost Boy

If people would have told Natasha Romanoff that she would be spending her days live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, she probably would have laughed in their faces. She was a highly trained Russian Operative, a graduate of the Red Room, a skilled assassin, and yet she lived on a farm. All because she had decided to help an American soldier named Steve Rogers instead of taking him out like she was supposed to. 

Steve had been the one to save her in return. She had risked everything to save him, but now he had saved her in return. As far as Natasha was concerned they were even, though she was slightly resentful of the fact that he had planned to hide her in the middle of nowhere. He had gotten her immunity and pulled some strings with SHIELD. As long as she stayed within a hundred miles of the little town, she was safe. 

That didn’t make it easier on her, Natasha loathed being confined. She liked having the freedom to cut and run, and that had been taken from her. For a spy it made her feel a little bit like a sitting duck, which wasn’t what she was used to. 

Gone was the short red hair, she had dyed it blonde and let it grow out. She supposed it was part of the hiding. She made a few friends if you could call them that, she was pretty sure a couple of them were SHIELD plants meant to keep an eye on her. 

A sensor at her front gate went off, sending an alert to her watch. Natasha tapped the face of the watch and raised a brow as it showed her the security feed to her property. An old blue truck was driving up the dirt driveway to her farmhouse. The driver was familiar but Natasha didn’t recognize the passenger. 

Why Steve Rogers was coming to visit her of all people was the real question. Steve was kind enough to check in once or twice a year but it was usually over the phone and on a secure line. It had been close to four years since he had brought her to the town. He hadn’t actually stopped by in quite a long time. 

Something about the situation set Natasha’s nerves on edge, but she slowly made her way to the porch. If Steve was coming to visit her then it meant that something was up. When the truck finally pulled to a stop, she watched as Steve said something to his passenger. The other person seemed to be subdued a bit, with dark hair and even darker eyes. Natasha could recognize the haunted glint in them. Apparently, Steve told the person to stay in the truck because he was the only person who got out. 

“Romanoff.” 

“Steve.” 

Steve managed a small smile and tilted his head to the side in a way that reminded her of a dog. “I was hoping you had a minute to talk.” 

“You drove all this way out here to see if I had a minute to talk? What’s it about?” Natasha asked though she had an inkling it had to do with the person inside of Steve’s vehicle. 

Steve shifted his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. “I need a favor.” 

“Does the favor involve Mr. Dark and Broody?” 

Steve actually chuckled and nodded slowly. “That’s my friend Bucky, he’s um… He’s in a bad way and I was hoping he could hide out with you for a while.” 

Natasha raised a brow. “Did you run out of safe houses? I am sure SHIELD has a bunch.” 

“That’s the thing, I don’t want SHIELD to know he’s here. I mean they know I’m stashing him somewhere, but there might be a mole inside…” Steve trailed off. He didn’t want to be revealing all of this information to her. 

So he was bringing another stray into the town. Natasha almost wanted to laugh but she composed herself. 

“There is a mole inside of SHIELD? Should I be worried, how did this happen?” 

Now that was news to her, but it also meant possible trouble. If they could find out about Steve’s friend, they could find out about her. Natasha wasn’t entirely thrilled about the prospect of her cover being blown. While she wasn’t overly attached to the people of the town she didn’t want to bring a horde of Russian assassins into the mix. 

“Relax, you don’t need to be worried.” Steve looked troubled and glanced over his shoulder at Bucky. “It’s a long and complicated story, but as mad as they were to lose you, they’re going to be angrier about losing Bucky.” 

“What’s his deal then, what can you tell me?” Natasha asked curiously. There was something about Steve’s friend that seemed mildly familiar. 

“Look I promise to explain everything later but right now I just need to know if he can stay with you?” Steve pleaded, giving her a look of desperation. 

Natasha groaned and rolled her eyes. She had never been good at saying no to Steve’s puppy face, it had gotten her into this mess in the first place. “Fine, he can stay. But if he tries anything, I’ll kill himself.” 

Steve actually laughed. “Yeah, I am not sure you’re his type, Romanoff.” 

“I am everybody’s type,” Nat replied, patting Steve’s cheek before walking into her farmhouse. “Tell him he can come in, but make sure you both wipe your feet on the mat. I just moped and the dust is a killer.” 

\----

Bucky was glaring a hole through the dashboard, occasionally glancing up to see what Steve was doing. Bucky’s head was pounding, it had been bothering him for a while now. Steve had taken the aspirin from him, not wanting him to take too much. Bucky wasn’t sure why he had agreed to come with Steve, he had been better on his own. Steve had told him that they needed to stop and talk to an old friend. Bucky didn’t think this lady was going to be able to help him, no matter how much Steve hyped her up.

Flexing his arm, Bucky stared at the metal fingers, wiggling them before sighing. He wasn’t clear on the details of how he was going to be able to stay off the radar. Steve had promised him that this would be a safe place, but Bucky felt like Steve was underestimating Hydra. There was a reason they were so powerful

He glanced up as Steve walked over and knocked on his window. The woman Steve had been talking to, had walked inside. 

“Come on Bucky, Natasha says you can stay,” Steve said, offering him a friendly smile. 

Bucky could see how earnest Steve seemed, he was looking at him like it was the first time he had seen the sun in a long time. “I don’t know if this is a good idea, Steve, I don’t want to put this innocent lady in danger.” 

Steve had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. “Natasha is many things but I am not sure innocent is one of them. She can keep you safe until I figure out what I am going to do.” 

“She is going to keep me safe?” Bucky arched a brow at that. “She barely comes up to my chest.” 

“You of all people should know not to underestimate somebody by their size. She has the heart of a fighter Buck, and she has some training.” Steve said, grabbing Bucky’s gear from the back of the truck. Steve didn’t want to give away all of Natasha’s secrets, at least not yet.

Bucky didn’t look entirely convinced but he was at least willing to give it a shot. His head was throbbing again and he just wanted to lay down. “As long as she has a place for me to lay down I’ll be fine.” 

“Atta boy, come on Buck. Let’s go get you settled.” Steve said, all but dragging him inside the farmhouse.

Natasha’s house was moderately decorated, with very few personal pictures, mainly paintings of mountains and forests hung on the walls. She had some furniture, but it looked new and untouched. Bucky’s eyes immediately sought out the windows and the exits. He hadn’t survived as long as he had by being careless. 

“You aren’t in danger here,” Natasha said softly, regarding him with a careful expression. 

“Forgive me if I don’t trust your observation. I don’t know you.” Bucky replied, meeting her gaze. 

Steve cleared his throat. “Bucky this is Natasha, Nat this is Bucky. We grew up together.” 

Natasha raised a brow at that. “Oh, he’s that Bucky.” 

Steve nodded slowly. “After you saved my life overseas I kept poking into your former handlers. Turns out they’ve had Bucky this entire time. They were using him as some sort of-” Steve trailed off, his brow furrowing. It made him angry about what they had done to his best friend. They had turned the kindest man he had ever known into a cold-blooded, emotionless killer.

“They called me the Winter Soldier.” Bucky finished for him. 

Natasha’s eyes widened, a flicker of recognition passing across her face before she managed to school her features into something more neutral. “Are you sure bringing a Hydra lapdog to my front door is wise Steve?” 

Bucky scowled at the name-calling. “I am not a lap dog.” 

Natasha muttered a curse in Russian, Bucky apparently understood because his face flushed red with irritation. “Look I am sure he’s a good friend Steve, but putting two high-value targets in the same place is not a good idea. On our own, we’d make a tempting target, but if Hydra finds out we’re together…” 

Steve gave her a look. “It’s just for a week until I figure out somewhere safer for him to go. I know you can keep him safe. Once I find a better spot, I’ll move him myself.” 

“It’s not exactly a vacation resort princess,” Bucky muttered, rubbing at his temple. 

“Fine, he can stay but if he tries anything I’ll shoot him,” Natasha warned. 

“I’d like to see you try.” Bucky fired back. 

Steve placed a hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “Natasha has a guest room, why don’t you go lay down.” He said pointedly steering Bucky away from Natasha. It was only after he got Bucky settled that he returned to the kitchen. 

“I know you’ve already risked your life helping me before. I don’t really have a leg to stand on when it comes to asking you for help with Bucky, but I do need your help. I can’t lose him again.” Steve said quietly. He didn't want to have to beg her but he would, his pride didn't matter to him when it came to Bucky.

All this vulnerability was making Natasha’s skin crawl. She could tell Steve was desperate and although she wanted to turn him down, she wasn’t going to. “He can stay, for now, he looks like a pathetic lost boy from Peter Pan.” 

Steve had to bite back a smile. “I’ll make it up to you Nat, I promise.” Steve checked his phone as it began to buzz. “I have to go, I have some things to take care of. Try not to kill him while I’m gone.” 

Natasha rolled her eyes. “I can’t make any promises.” She called, as Steve made his way back to this truck. She watched him go and then turned her attention to the guest bedroom. As a spy, she was naturally suspicious. 

When she had worked for the KGB she had heard of the Winter Soldier. The Red Room had mentioned him as well, she had caught glimpses of him when she was a younger girl. It was hard to reconcile the ghost assassin with the best friend of Steve Rogers. 

Oh, Steve was going to owe her big time, but if anybody could understand coming down from that sort of brainwashing it was Natasha. Perhaps she could help his friend out, after all, she knew what it was like to suffer. To have to process through what was real and what was fake. Maybe she was just a sucker who couldn't resist the urge to help the lost boy find his way home. Natasha just hoped it wouldn't blow up in her face and cost her the little life she had built for herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Buckle up my friends, and strap in for a ride. This one has been brewing in my mind for over a year.


End file.
